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-Year-Old Removed From Class for Using Olive Oil Hair Product
By Ruth Manuel-Logan on Jun 7th 2010 10:09AM
Comments (323)

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A Seattle writer is angry beyond words, because late last month his 8-year-old child was removed from her honors elementary school class. No, the child did not misbehave. Instead, the little girl was guilty of using a hair moisturizer that allegedly annoyed her Caucasian teacher. Now the NAACP has joined the angry dad in filing a complaint against the child's school.

Charles Mudede, the father, claims that the school administrators at Thurgood Marshall Elementary initially moved his child out of her honors classroom, placing her in a hallway and then, ultimately, moved her to another classroom. Why?

Because the child's teacher stated that she was allergic to the smell of the olive oil moisturizing hair lotion that the little girl used, Organic Root Stimulator (pictured below).


Mudede's daughter, who is biracial, is an honor's student and the only child of color in her grade's accelerated program.

After the teacher complained about her hair grease, though, the child was permanently placed in a classroom with predominantly African American children who were academically not on par.

The child's parents were never even contacted about the matter.

Bellen Drake, the child's mother, tells Seattle's King 5 News:

"I couldn't comprehend it. I was really try to make sense of it and that took a while. My daughter kept saying that she was afraid and it's your hair and that she could come into her class to get her work, then go to another class for the rest of the day."

The family contacted the NAACP, and the organization has taken the reins on this case by filing a formal complaint with the U.S. Department of Education. The civil rights organization says that the incident has "less to do about hair and more to do with how the whole situation was handled."

Mudede and his wife have also decided to hire an attorney. Until the matter is settled, Mudede writes in his blog, The Stranger:

"We decided not to send our daughter to school until the teacher had medical proof that our daughter's hair or something in her hair was to blame for the nausea. (The last thing you want to happen to your daughter is for a teacher to faint or vomit at the mere sight of her.) Days passed and the school took no action. This unresponsiveness left us with no other choice than to turn to a lawyer. The whole thing is a mess. Getting entangled in a racial dilemma is something most black parents do not want for their children. It's just not worth the trouble. Then again, like I said, if not checked and confronted, the incident will have permanent consequences for my child."

In a statement, the school district told King 5 News:

"We're concerned and we're looking into it. Our priority is to get the child back in school."


Bet you three dimes to a dollar, this teacher is gonna regret her actions by the morning. Don't know what she was thinking but I'm sure she is questioning herself if her license was worth removing the child from the classroom.

I've used their products once or twice, I never noticed any smell to them.

As Ricky would say, this teacher has some "splaining" to do.

I use that same product in the moisturizing mousse version and I'm sure many others do too. None of my friends or my ex have ever complained of a smell ever. Not when sharing a hotel/vehicle/during hugs etc. It actually has a very mild fresh scent and is mostly natural ingredients if not completely natural.

I have family members prone to sensitivity of products who also use similar products if not the same and have no problem.

What in the world was this teacher thinking?! Even if there was a smell how could she even be certain it was that child and for certain her hair?

Wow...Now I do think they should seek some explanation but I don't like how its initially made into a racial issue. Just get a lawyer without going to the NAACP first.

Sounds fishy, but ok.

The video said they wanted a meeting with the district. The article said they wanted proof from the teacher of her allergy to the ingredients of the product. Neither of which has been produced. I agree that the lawyers and NAACP seem "fast". But the school should respond with action instead of some statements. Either of those are doable or at least the conversation should be being had and it's not. I guess they were not getting explanations in what they felt was a timely manner. At least I hope that's the reason.

The teacher did say she had allergies at the start of the year, but she just now noticed she's "allergic" to this girl's hair product that she has apparently been using for over a year?

riiight. just move her out of her class,without talking to the parents.... that'll work.

don't laugh y'all...but when i read the title i pictured some oily kid using real olive oil in their hair and smelling like cooking oil. i can't believe they're talking about the actual brand olive oil. like babypink said, most products do not have a smell. and even if it did, there's no way in hell that it would smell up the whole classroom. gtfohwtbs.

You should know that whenever you have a predominantly white school and the minority population is very low (which means that the school is not used to dealing with diversity), there is usually an element of racial prejudice involved in such situations, when basic procedures are not followed such as contacting a child's parents to let them know what's going on. And I'm speaking from experience as one who has gone to predominantly white schools (and black schools for that matter) since elementary school. Usually there is an element of racial prejudice (even if small) on behalf of someone; in this case the teacher. Because I have seen things like this play out so many times (including a personal experience I had), there is no doubt in my mind.

I've used the Olive Oil brand moisturizer before (along with the shampoo and conditioner) and will admit that, IMO, it does smell. Not a stinky smell or a bad smell but it does smell. I can smell it in my hair all day. I don't think that it smells bad enough to warrant kicking a baby out of class though. This person is an idiot. If she were that allergic to the product then she should have spoken to the parents to ask if they could maybe change the product during the week so that it didn't make her sick. She didn't even try.

@Dreamseeker lol Don't laugh about the EVOO, I moisturize my hair with it!

It's called open a window and keep it moving. If it is really that bad, then arrange to have a discussion with both child and parents about the situation--not that I believe for a minute that it was really that bad. Don't humiliate the child by telling her that her hair care product is making you sick. :neutral:

Or by making her sit in the hall. That was so wrong. She's supposed to be an adult, she couldn't think of one other way to handle the situation?

I was going to say the same thing. I like that company's products, but some of them just stay in your hair for way too long.

My problem is with this statement:

"After the teacher complained about her hair grease, though, the child was permanently placed in a classroom with predominantly African American children who were academically not on par."

Who did she complain to? Others must have known that she moved the child out of her class. Did administrators not feel an obligation to tell the parents, as well?

I definitely don't think that the teacher is the only one to blame..

Nah, now had it been "Tussy," now that would have made it a racial issue. :rolleyes:

This makes me really sad - I'm sure her hair lotion could have been switched, had the teacher/school bothered to call the parents and let them know the situation. If a child had been moved between classrooms without notifying the parents when I was in elementary school heads woud have rolled - I don't blame the parents for contacting a lawyer one bit. Especially because she's been moved out of an "advanced" classroom to a regular one.

I use that product sometimes and don't smell anything. Perhaps people are using too much of it. :)

All things in moderation. I shouldn't smell your shower gels, body sprays, and perfumes before and aftger you leave the viccinity. The same goes for other personal care products. I use a tea tree oil product from time to time and know that a very small amount is permissable to prevent those who hate the smell from being repulsed.

If she was allergic to the smell (which I doubt, she probably just didn't like the smell with no medical condition--we all have smells that repulse us even if others aren't bothered by it) a counselor should've called the parents. Never remove a child from a class regardless of the race.

To me the issue was the child's removal, the principal's apparent approval, and the failure of both the teacher and the principal to notify the parent.

It sounds like the teacher didn't want to a) be bothered with the child or b) wanted to have something negative to say about the child or c) felt the child was doing too well and had to do "something" about it. Of all the "reasons" for changing this child's classroom because of her "allergies" or "allergic reaction" to this hair care product, phuleeeze! I'm sure the woman could have done better than that.

Moreover, this girl had apparently been in this class for over a year, and just now, JUST NOW, the teacher seems to "notice" such an offending smelling hair product. It doesn't make any sense what so ever.

Both the teacher and the principal and the district have some serious explaining of this situation to do. The child should have never been removed from the classroom setting from the get go. The whole issue could have been resolved in many other ways than what the teacher did and what the principal/district allowed her to do.

Attending school in a very small town will teach you many things, especially about covert and overt racism, and to me, this is what this whole situation is about.

This isn't about very small towns. Dumb happens wherever people are. Attending school anywhere can teach you about covert and overt racism. For the record, that doesn't mean that everything that happens is racism.

I remember in 8th grade, all the girls received Jean Nate body spray for Christmas. The poor teachers had to deal with 30 over-sprayed girls in class. We got a talking-to because "makeup, too much hairspray and the like" were not allowed in my (Catholic) school. One girl got her head doused in the bathroom sink with water because it was excessively hair-sprayed. I guarantee that would never happen today.

That teacher (in the article) is an idiot. Perhaps I am naive, but I believe that teachers should be devoid of personal agendas in the classroom. I hope that when this is resolved and she has to apologize, someone talks to the kids to let them know that this is not acceptable behavior.

True this isn't about small towns, but again, this was simply my perspective.

Now yes, dumb does happen any and everywhere, but sometimes, someone, somewhere has got to point out the dumb and say, "For the love of all that is holy, let's just stop this dumb _______."

In this case, this to me, is an act of racism. No, everything that happens isn't about racism, but when it is, you've got to stop it how and when you can or else the situation(s) can and will continue until a) the point of no return or b)a return that one doesn't want to face.

In this particular case, to me, this was and is simply covert racism, pure and simple. Again, this is just the way that I'm seeing it, folks don't have to agree or they can, but this is just what I see plain and simple.

To me, this child gets too feel self-conscious about her hair for many years to come because her teacher is/was unwilling to simply talk to her parents about the issue. The child gets to find that innocence gets easily lost when the "adult" of the classroom isn't willing to be an adult and she (the child) gets thrown under the proverbial bus for something she had nothing to do with. The child gets to doubt her self-esteem for many years because of this teachers unwillingness to change her attitude and check herself by dealing with the situation like an adult. Because of this "woman's" behavior (and I use that term on shaky ground) the child will have ramifications that were a) subliminal, b) subconsciously "gifted" to her, and c) unncessary within this child's life. She (the girl) shouldn't have to feel this woman's issues because this woman didn't just want to stand up and be one.

Again, this is just simply how I see things and yes, having gotten some of my educational background from a small town has "skewed" some of my vision at times.

I can't find anything in the article you posted that would make me feel comfortable saying I'm sure what the teacher's motives were, especially since it gives only one side of the story. Sure, it might have been racism, but it also might simply have been an extra helping of crazy with a side of stupid.

She already has her mind made up and that's going to set the context for everything else. :) Opinions are awesome as long as people understand the difference between opinions on race and speaking definitively as though covert and overt racism are always so apparent. Then libramunoz is adding the girl's self-consciousness over her hair (which is an assumption) to the equation. That's a leap only used as a recipe for race and racism. However....

You all already know this, but I must say what I've said hundreds of times, which is that racism isn't about "add race then stir." If this story hadn't used the race catch phrases of "Olive Oil Moisturizer (LOL)," "African American," and "NAACP," this would've just been a story about a nasally sensitive dumb teacher and a school administration that doesn't understand school-parent protocol.

At the same time, racism is about outcome and not intent. The teacher/school doesn't need a racial intent for it to have a racial outcome (i.e. the student being sent to a class of African Americans who are not academically up to par--the very existence of a class of African Americans who are not academically up to par). But, again, the outcome isn't so apparent solely based on what I've read.

This is bullshit. I doubt if it would have been some 8 year old boy drenching himself in his older brother's AXE that the teacher would have removed him to another classroom.

I seriously doubt if the teacher even has allergies at all. Also, why was the girl immediately transferred to a classroom with mostly African-American children? Are there only two rooms for each grade? If so, why are homerooms in an elementary school determined by the kids' intelligence level? That's a really good way to make a division between the groups.

I don't recall having homerooms in elementary school. Maybe that's just my bad memory.

The general answer to your question: Tracking. Yes, it is a good and very intentional way to make a division between groups based on grades, race, learning capabiliites, etc.

I guess homeroom was a bad way to put it. We had 2 classrooms full of students in my elementary school. These were chosen by random (everyone from the smartest to the slowest student could be in the same room) but we were "tracked" into ability-appropriate math and reading classes. I hope that makes more sense as to what I was saying.

I'm sure it makes it easier for the teacher but I know when I got into junior high and everything was tracked, I was sick and tired of the same old assholes in my classes by halfway through 7th grade. :p

Here's what I don't understand...why didn't the teacher send a note home with the child asking to switch to a scentless hair product if she was allergic to the smell? I have a family member that can get severe headaches and nausea just from the smell of my shampoo, so the teacher might be telling the truth about her allergy. Who knows...but I don't understand why she couldn't simply talk to the school or the parents or both and ask the parents of the child to change hair products and then send a note home to the other parents of students in her class asking everyone to use scent free hair products and lotions. It seems unlikely to me that if she has a severe allergy to scents and fragrances no other child caused a reaction. That way everyone would be asked to avoid scented products and no child would be singled out.

As I said, to me and from my point of view, yes, this is how I see the article and how I see this incident.

Yes, it could be the easiest helping of stupid on the side along with a plate of education, but for me, the way that things were handled become a lesson in covertness at it's best.

Yes, I did add the issue of the child's self-esteem to be brought into the mix. I have seen things that are little that were heaped on a child and for some children it does become an issue later within their life. Was it purposely done, for some yes, for most no. However for this child, I happen to see this as a real possibility.

For me this is just what it is as it is presented and I'm sure that not everyone will agree with how I am seeing the situation and that's o.k.

lol. i use coconut oil. i kinda enjoy walking around smelling like a coconut. :D

If her allergies are that debilitating she should have sent a note home WITH EVERY CHILD, AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR that said "I am allergic to life. Please don't use anything on your child but Ivory Soap" or something of the like. There's no way one child should have been singled out in any way shape or form, at any time. Sorry, but this is the teacher's problem (if it actually exists). She needs to either get on an effective regimen of shots or ask parents from the get-go to help her deal with it.

2 things...


Because the child's teacher stated that she was allergic to the smell of the olive oil moisturizing hair lotion that the little girl used, Organic Root Stimulator (pictured below).

How can you be 'allergic' to a smell?

Even if they were using pure olive oil (which I sometimes use) VIRGIN Olive oil cut with a frgrance is the best way to go if you plan on using pure Olive oil

this whole article stinks.

I think that strictly speaking, you can't be allergic to an odor. But certain odors can act as irritants to certain people, causing irritation to nose, eyes, lungs and throat. Irritants can also do things like aggravate asthma.

An irritant =/= an allergen, but some people will say "allergic" anyway.

I took it as the child was in a gifted/talented class, which in some elemntary schools puts the children in thier own class for certain classes (english, reading, social studies). It isnt necessarily about making a division

Ask the people who are deathly allergic to peanuts. I subbed for a class where you couldnt bring ANY peanut/nut product because one kid was deathly allergic. The brother of a childhood friend would get anaphalaxis if he even smelled peanut/peanut butter on your breath.

:) That's still a division based on outcome and sometimes intent.

Saying "you all are the gifted/talented" goes with saying "you all aren't the gifted/talented" and the subsequent "you all are a step below the "normal" kids who we just told aren't the gifted/talented."

But that's an allergy to peanuts, not to the smell itself. That student was not allergic to the smell of peanuts; his allergy to peanuts was severe enough that it could be triggered by inhaling (rather than ingesting) peanut allergens. The corollary would be if the teacher in the OP's post was allergic to olive oil itself, or to the lotion, not just to the smell of the lotion.

Eh. I don't think so. I don't like product weighing my hair down. Even if that were the case, that means the little girl was wearing enough of it for the teacher to smell it. Not that it justifies her being kicked out of class.

Blended classes can sometimes stunt the growth of both types of children and sometimes it is a benefit for each set to be taught at their level. However this article makes it appear as though the "slower" class is FILLED to the brim with black children. WHY? The only "black" child allowed into the higher level class for that grade is the "mixed" child? WHY? Is having a white parent this schools' only requirement for gifted or excelled classes? Are the other kids labeled "bad" and "stupid" for having a different skin color? What is the REAL deal? Isn't anyone at the school wondering why that is that way and testing the children to ensure there is not a racial bias?

At the best there are 2 other black kids in the grade or something and article should have clarified that point. At the worst, the school really does have racial issues.

Its the same way in HS with the AP classes. There will always be the GT classes and the non-gt...i don't see the problem wi th dividing them into diff classes. Its not about being a "step below."

My relative's doctors call it allergic...and though personally I haven't heard of someone being DEATHLY allergic to smell, I can tell you for a fact that some people have bad enough reactions to fragrances for them to be considered debilitating in some cases. For her it's severe headaches and nausea along with the typical allergy symptoms like itchy/watery eyes and an effed up nose. And this can be triggered by shampoo, scented lotion, air fresheners, cigarette smoke, etc. I think it's perfectly believable that the teacher was allergic...but that doesn't excuse her way of going about it. There are many ways she could have handled the situation without singling out one student.

I agree that it is the same as AP. Those of us who were in AP classes were "tracked" into those classes early on. We didn't just end up in those classes overnight but instead were in gifted and talented courses/programs for years. Schools that don't have a formal program called "tracking" still use a track system if they have classes divided by something other than age and grade level.

It's not about being a "step below" to us but the problem with tracking isn't about our personal opinions. :)

Black kids are disproportionately represented in the lower tracks in school systems across the country. There are a number of causes and correlates often including and not limited to discrimination on the basis of social class and/or race.

I went to a predominantly white elementary school and there was a learning disabilities and physical and mental disabilities class with only (or mostly) Black kids in it. I went to predominantly Black middle and high schools and I expected the kids in the lower tracks and "disabilities class" (which was one room with no windows :mad:) to be Black kids. I felt sorry for these kids and also the ESL kids who were Asian and Hispanic. They got bullied and laughed at. :(